


My Best Friend's Wedding

by geekinthepink



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Best Friends, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, POV Alternating, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Night, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21895621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekinthepink/pseuds/geekinthepink
Summary: Josie are Rafael are getting married!  And while Raf's decision about his best man couldn't be easier, Josie knows she has to tell her best friend, Hope, that she's giving in to her twin sister's demands to be her maid of honour.  But some things happen for a reason and it might just be that Hope now has a lot more free time on her hands to help the best man and mysterious new guy in town, Landon Kirby, prepare for his brother's big day. That is, if he can learn to take his eyes off Hope in the process.
Relationships: Josie Saltzman & Rafael Waithe, Josie Saltzman/Rafael Waithe, Landon Kirby & Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby & Lizzie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby/Lizzie Saltzman, Milton "MG" Greasley & Lizzie Saltzman, Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman, Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman
Comments: 39
Kudos: 52





	1. The Bridal Shower: Ready for This?

**Author's Note:**

> ~This is not related to the Julia Robert's movie in any way. The title just works. I imagined this story outside of Legacies but then discovered this cast fit so many of the characters and plotlines so perfectly and then inspired deeper and more interesting details. So this is humanAU with history between some characters and others who haven't met and will in the story. They are also in their twenties for the premise to make sense but, for the most part, the characters aren't that different except Lizzie is stuck in her pre-ginni self. There are a few lines taken from the show intentionally just for fun and to play on the relationships we know and love. Obviously I own nothing. Rating will change in later chapters and be noted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~I thought Josie and Raf had great chemistry at the beginning of season 1 so I'm happy to be exploring this ship in a supporting sense because Handon, obviously. I'm very happy to add to the lack of Handon fics because they deserve better. There will also be mention of past Posie. I'm enjoying writing all the friendships and just wanted to be clear the ships presented in this work are there to aid the story. Handon is the only one I wouldn't change and wont in potential future fics.

"Babe, pick up the phone."

Josie huffed and curled up into her fiance trying to suppress the whine of a toddler, "Raf, I--"

"No. No, You said you would call her today. And its today. So now its go time." Rafael stopped her before she could try to interrupt him again with the endless amount of excuses her pair of pouty lips were capable of expressing. He'd listened to them like any good fiance would for days and then boy, did he let her distract him but _not today_.

Tomorrow was her bridal shower and she knew just as well as he did that she would have to announce her bridal party to both their families. Over the past few years being with Josie, her friends became his too and Hope deserved to know the truth.

That Lizzie Saltzman was a nightmare who was trying to ruin their wedding. Not that it was really a surprise to anyone and it wouldn't be to Hope either; that girl was tough. She would take it well but God forbid, Josie Saltzman had to hurt someone's feelings.

Raf sighed. He knew he had it easy. Landon had been his brother since they were preteens getting kicked out of the same foster home and even though he currently lived in another state, there was no one else he'd want up there with him on his wedding day. His best friend and his brother were the same person. And Landon, the sap, actually got teary eyed when he was asked, telling his brother later that visit that he worried his new job in Washington was tearing them apart at the seams. His words. Rafael always admired Landon for not pretending to be any tougher or cooler than he felt in that exact moment but always turning out to be so much tougher and cooler than he ever thought he could be. Tragically humble, he'd heard an ex say once but one of his or Landon's, he couldn't actually remember. 

Shaking his head to clear the cluttered thoughts, he redirected the woman in front of him, "She is your best friend who truly wants you to be happy on our wedding day. She'll be fine, Jo." Raf grabbed her phone and unlocked it before selecting Hope Mikaelson from the contacts and handing it over.

Josie took in a shaky breath as she looked at the phone and then up at the man she loved. Pursing her lips in determination, she grabbed it from his hand and waited for the sound of her friends voice on the other line, "Hold my hand."

Rafael chucked and laced his fingers through Josie's while she waited to deliver the bad news. It was these kinds of moments where he understood the warnings he'd been given about what weddings can turn women into and it's barely started.

~

Hope took a deep breath and sighed before realizing that Josie was definitely hearing the exasperation in her voice and therefore would internalize the crap out of it.

"Hope, I'm so sorry. You know--"Josie sobbed.

"Hey! No. Its not--I'm just tired. I had a long day.--" Hope tried to explain.

"Oh no! I'm so sor--" her friend cried and tried to apologize more.

"No! You know I understand. I knew this would happen," which she absolutely _did_. Hope had met Lizzie Saltzman and that was all she needed to know to understand that she'd _never_ have a chance to be her friend's maid of honour. "I told you I was honoured to be considered for a second when you have a sister. I thought they were automatic defaults in this situation anyway. And I meant it."

That was the absolute truth, plus she'd never had a chance to get her hopes up so it really wasn't worth any guilt or dramatic phone calls the day before her best friend's bridal shower. It was just how she liked it. No expectations that weren't based in attainable reality; good ol' predictable outcome. Hope couldn't ask for anything less.

"But hey, do I still get to stand up in your wedding?" she asked her friend even though she knew the answer already. Just like she knew that Rafael was right there next to Josie probably holding her hand and getting her through every second of this. God, Hope loved Raf. He was such a good guy and so good for Josie. Now if only he had a brother...oh _, wait--_

"Of course you can! You're gonna be the bridesmaid right next to Lizzie so really, its like I have you both...--but don't tell her I said that." The jumps in Josies voice from elation to serous warning made Hope giggle.

"I wouldn't dare. But now, soon to be Josette Waithe, you need to get some serious beauty rest for the first of many big days tomorrow," Hope used her 'mom voice' Josie had called it. Soothing and soft with a smile behind it to put ease into the hearts of any who heard it. The person who needed it tonight was her buddy, Jo, who was trying so hard to avoid becoming bridezilla. "And Jo? You did the right thing and I'm glad you told me...even if it was the night before the shower."

Josie giggled in total self awareness and Hope swore she could hear Raf right along with her, "You know this is why I love you, right? Well that and things like taking Landon to his suit fitting tomorrow while were cleaning up and getting all the gifts back to the apartment..." her face scrunched up in concern while she waited for her friend to confirm the plan they'd made weeks ago when Josie was panicking about double booking Rafael on an already stress filled day, "You remembered you're taking Landon, right?"

The panic in Josie's voice was back, this time laced with apology and guilt because she was figuring out that Hope had indeed forgot the plan entirely. Her friend rushed through the next part, "Because apparently Mom says Raf has to be there at the end of the shower to thank everyone and she's mad enough that Landon won't be there to help load and unload the gifts because _that's the man's job_ \--"

Hope winced but recovered quickly, "Of course, I remembered. It's not a problem," except it kind of was because she was going to meet a client for drinks but it was her own damn fault for not putting it in her calendar as soon as Josie asked. _Unless_ , "Besides even if it was, couldn't Lizzie...you know? Sounds like a maid of honour kind of job to me."

And as soon she heard herself say it, she couldn't believe she'd let herself get roped into a maid of honour job without the damn title because it _sure as shit_ was a maid of honour kind of thing. 

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess--" and then Josie's voice was cut off by a panicked Rafael who pleaded with both of them.

"No. _Please_. Hope? Do me a solid. Lan's only here a couple days and--" it sounded like Raf was trying to play on their mutual understanding of how much Lizzie Saltzman could be without cluing Josie in on their secret pact to save each other in dire situations.

Hope closed her eyes briefly before saying with a strained smile, "Well good thing I didn't forget then. Everything's fine. Everything will be fine. Just try and relax tonight. Both of you. Big day tomorrow," and with that sentiment Hope ended the call and groaned into her couch cushion.

Weddings were the worst. And if it was anyone other than Josie and Raf, she would be faking her own death right now to avoid this endless circus.

It was nothing against Raf's brother, -- _Logan? Or whatever_ \--he seemed nice enough when they'd met once and briefly. It was at Rafael's 25th birthday extravaganza as Josie had lovingly called it but Hope was busy and drunk and just barely getting through a terrible breakup with her last boyfriend. Roman's family despised her on first meeting and then broke up with her only to get married three months later to the girl his family loved to talk about at Sunday dinners when they were still together. Yeah, he was a real winner.

Hope could only imagine Logan's-- _it sounds wrong_ \--first impression of her since she didn't remember it as well as she'd like. Especially knowing they'd be spending a few hours alone together tomorrow and eventually over and over again through all the wedding escapades. It was just awkward. They'd met at a terrible time in her life and this was the person closest to Rafael; someone she'd accepted as permanently connected to her best friend. _Her_ friend, even, and _that_ was saying something. Hope didn't really have many friends other than Josie and those connected to her.

Lo--Lu-- _whatever his name is_ , they were going to be connected for life through this wedding and the people they loved. And no matter how hard she tried to nail it down, her lack of memory of their first meeting put her expectations in a place of unpredictability. _Great. Just how I like it._

~

The shower was beautiful, simple and elegant just like Josie and just like her mom. Luckily their taste was just about the same because Hope knew the cyclone that was Caroline Forbes wasn't consulting her daughter on flower arrangements in advance; a trait passed onto Lizzie instead. But as annoyed as Hope was, it was all washed away by the genuine grin spread across her best friend's face. Josie was happy. She had a good day and her best friend had helped by taking some bad news well and cancelling her 4 o'clock consultation to play chauffeur to the best man. A best man who'd be showing up any minute with the groom-to-be to thank and greet all the women who would be sizing them up immediately. Hope didn't envy them.

It was a nice part about being a bridesmaid instead of the maid of honour. No speech and you could hide in the crowd of taffeta with your fellow prisoners but even the chuckle at the images dancing in her brain couldn't distract her from her nerves. Obviously, she would play it cool and aloof with... _whatshisname_ \--Hope was great at aloof--and assure him that she totally remembered the last time they'd met but avoid as many details as possible. How hard could it be, really?

The only thing distracting her confidence was the few flashes of memory she actually _had_. A goofy smile, inky black tight curls and the most gorgeous set of... _green?_ \--grey eyes she'd ever seen. It was infuriating, honestly because she hadn't thought about it in so long that, obviously, she'd forgotten the impact. Which was _a lot_ , apparently, as she squirmed uncomfortably in her chair in front of a room full of gazing women. 

So he was hot. _It's fine_. Anyway, these were totally skewed, unreliable memories brought to you by drunk brain and broken heart. That might not even be the guy! Even if she'd done the worst and come onto him that night and would have to apologize and explain the whole drunk brain, broken heart thing that sure as hell was a lot better than the reality of... _those eyes._

Hope was so lost in her thoughts as she obsessed over what truly seemed like nothing once she'd convinced herself that the guy she was seeing in her mind would not be the one next to her-- _no, in front of her._ Standing in front of her _right now_ , growing more confused by the second as his mouth moved but no sound came out. _What was he saying?_ Hope shook her head and came back to the reality of the hustle and bustle of the bridal shower. Women chattering bouncing off the walls with no where to go and clacking of heels on tile as they got up and moved from table to table to catch up with their friends and family. 

"Sorry, its louder in here than I expected," he was talking to her but it still didn't feel quite real so Hope looked around the room to get her bearings.

How long had she sat there consumed by her thoughts?

"I don't know if you remember me..." her eyes shot to his finally because he was still trying to get her attention for some reason and now she at least knew this wasn't a dream. 

The confusion her face must have told him she couldn't hear a word he said either so he threw his hand out in her direction and bent down closer to talk to her privately,

"I'm Landon. Josie wanted me to come grab you so we wouldn't get held up by the crowd. I think she's worried about our timeliness." A goofy smile grew on his face as he joked and suddenly Hope was reminded of those memories she'd just dismissed as imaginary. He was _very_ real. 

Hope let herself smile through pursed lips but she could feel the warmth from him tug at them. _We're playing this cool_. She nodded and decided to take his hand let him lead her out of the banquet room before saying anything else. She almost forgot about Josie and Raf entirely-- _and what kind of friend did that make her_ \--but caught their eyes quickly at the door and silently signaled thank yous and smiles while they were being attacked by aunts and cousins alike before making an escape. It was just enough time to get ahold of herself before she had to actually talk to him.

"Of course, I remember you," _Landon_! Finally turning to him as she lead him to her car, Hope assured him with a bit too much exaggeration, " _Landon_. It was getting so nuts in there, you caught me when all I could hear was my headache getting worse. It was at Raf's birthday thing, right?"

That was casual enough. Even if something _had_ happened between them, they were both adults and it definitely didn't need to be a big deal. All the while unlocking and getting into her car, Hope barely realized that she'd avoided looking at him longer than a second or two since the moment he'd broken her out of her daze. It happened when she was focused on a goal or on avoiding something staring her straight in the face. But it wasn't usually a human man with warm, calm presence and the most direct stare attached to a pair of truly dreamy hodded eyes. _God, I hate myself._

She didn't _want_ to look at him because she knew he was just _staring_ at her. Staring at her with unknown intent until she actually looked back but that seemed so damn dangerous at this point. He spoke just before she turned the key and Hope decided that driving was the perfect excuse not to have to look at him at all. It wouldn't work at the tux place but she was coming up with all of this off the cuff as it was.

"Yeah, you remember? Good, I was worried for a second. I didn't want it to be weird and it's been a while--" Hope's face shifted as she searched his words for any details left out from her foggy memory but he was being extremely vague. She stopped her overactive brain from spinning long enough to hear him abruptly stop and filled the space as best she could with reassurance.

Even turning to give him her best quick but warm smile, she said, "It's not weird at all." This time their eyes met and man, was that a mistake. Hope's first response was to pull herself away as quickly as humanly possible but everything else was working against her. His eyes begged her to stay and his slightly parted mouth asked to be discovered. _Or rediscovered_. Finally managing to pull her eyes away, she swore she would not look at him again unless absolutely necessary.

Hope could only hear him now...and honestly, that wasn't much better. Landon's voice was so low and gravelly, like he'd spent years smoking something. Well, that could help whatever the hell was going on with her. Smokers smelled terrible...except there wasn't a whiff of anything other than maybe Old Spice sitting inches away from him in an enclosed vehicle.

Now that husky voice was laced with more confusion and concern as he spoke, "So, when you saw me you weren't worried about--because you didn't--"

Hope couldn't tell why he'd stopped himself or what he was trying to say. It really wasn't helping this cool as a cucumber thing she was so dedicated to. There might have been the slightest wince in his voice but honestly the drawl of it was so sexy, she was really having a hard time picking up his intonation. 

Hope decided to take charge of this muddled narrative herself. She was a part of it just as much as he was and even though she couldn't remember it, he couldn't even spit it out, "Landon, honestly, whatever you're worried about, don't. I'm not," she shrugged her shoulders and threw him a quick friendly glance with her best carefree smile, "Like you said, it was a while ago."

Hope could see him nodding slowly in the passenger seat and he didn't say anything until he reminded her of the name of the place for his tux fitting.

They exited the car and again went her spinning mind, trying to figure out exactly why she was losing her mind over this guy all the while trying to avoid his stare and figure out exactly the kind of trouble she'd caused him when they first met. Lost in her thoughts, Hope looked up to see those eyes again, asking her much more than the words coming from his mouth, "You ready for this?"

"Absolutely," Hope replied as easily as she could fake it. It came out with a bright smile that seemed to pull one straight from Landon too before they headed towards the tailor. 

Nothing could have been farther from the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time! I wrote this in one sitting so I hope I was alert enough to edit it so that its readable. I also just loved the idea of Hope not remembering Landon's name so thank you for indulging me in that ridiculousness. Most of the story will be throughout the actual wedding so that will be coming up soon. I'm thinking of some sort of bachelor and bachelorette party chapter first. Let me know what you think!


	2. The Bridal Shower: This One is Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bridal shower from Landon's POV and him staring at her a lot because I will never get enough of that. Hope trying to be cool and unaffected at Landon's tux fitting and failing miserably. Landon trying to flirt and coax her out of her cucumber state.

Landon was nervous. It was bad enough that Raf had guilted him into making an appearance at the bridal shower-- _because wasn't that the girls thing?_ The one thing they _didn't_ have to worry about? But he knew it was based on his brother's pure, absolute fear of his mother-in-law. Caroline Forbes was a stunning blonde with a brilliant and terrifying smile who'd aged with grace and power. He liked to tease Rafael that it was a look into his future and it didn't look too damn bad if you asked him.

"Dude, I swear to God, if you keep up the comments about Josie's mom, I _will_ out you to her," Raf warned and shot him his usual death glare that only made it harder for Landon to suppress his glee. His brother was so tense ever since they'd started planning the wedding and he had made it his personal mission to try to loosen him up at any available moment. Landon remembered Raf telling him once that his face was enough to put him in stitches sometimes. "Or better yet, Lizzie." Not now, obviously, but at least he was joking... _right?_

Rafael's face changed to one filled with his own glee at the mention of Josie's twin's name and stopped Landon in his tracks when he finally realized he was not joking at all. He didn't know Lizzie Saltzman well but what he did know already had him avoiding her as much as possible. Especially alone. That girl seemed to have no sense of verbal or physical boundaries at least when it came to him.

"Oh my God, _Landon_!" ... _and speak of the devil_. Lizzie's eyes lit up as she walked toward them with that voice she had that always seemed like she was trying to say something other than the words coming from her mouth. It was seriously unnerving. Raf told him she was flirting with him and maybe that was true but it didn't change the fact that it set his fight or flight mode on high alert.

"I didn't know you were coming..." Lizzie looked at her sister and her fiance like she was waiting for some sort of explanation for not being in on the details but quickly abandoned that to give him a quick, tight hug.

 _Boundaries_. Landon was sure he was very unsuccessfully hiding the bewilderment on his face when being attacked by this girl. Raf was pretty unsuccessfully holding back a snicker and Landon was happy that someone could enjoy this. Lizzie was letting her hand linger and drift down his arm as she spoke to her sister. As much as he wished he could enjoy her blatant flirtation, Lizzie Saltzman was much scarier than she was hot. And she was _really_ hot.

He could feel the heat of another death glare coming from across the room that made him look up as two familiar faces entered through the back. Landon had let himself mentally exit the conversation going on around him. Their college buddies MG and Kaleb were late and trying to sneak into the festivities without being caught by _\--there she is_. The other scary blonde in the room, Caroline bounding towards them. But MG only had eyes for Lizzie's hands on Landon and he could only try to reassure his friend that he was _not_ encouraging this with silent signals.

MG rolled his eyes and focused his attention to Lizzie's mother to apologize for their tardiness. It wasn't long before Kaleb was following him towards the gift table and being put straight to work. It knocked Landon out of his daze and back into whatever was going on around him, "...right, Landon?"

It was Lizzie's voice and smile that he returned politely as he realized she'd still had her hands on him, "Uh, yeah. Of course." Landon could hear Raf let his bark of a laugh escape and he made a mental note to ask him later what he'd just agreed to.

Josie was there to save him then and distract Lizzie from her fiance's blatant amusement that had put a confused look on her face. She'd had to physically tear her twin away from him so he could find Hope and get to his fitting _on time_.

"Why didn't you ask me, Jo? Sounds more like a maid of honour job to me, plus Landon and I--" Lizzie said confidently as her eyes slowly travelled to her sister and then back to him only to be cut off again.

"Mom wants your help organizing the clean up. I told you that. Do you want to tell her you've got other plans?" To Landon's relief, that shut Lizzie up and she agreed with a smile. Apparently they weren't the only ones afraid of her mother. She left with a prolonged smile in his direction and something about seeing him later that made me instantly regret whatever it was he'd agreed to earlier. _Mental note._

Josie was quick to push him in Hopes direction and to remind him of his 330pm fitting that was he was on his way to being late to. The bride had a million tasks and plans running through her mind and was obviously trying to manage the people at this event. Landon nodded with a smile and reminded himself that he could make it to this appointment on time for her. It was the least he could do to try and help with the obvious stress this day had brought her.

Landon liked Josie. He liked Josie and Raf and Josie _for_ Raf. He expected to be more critical and wary of the person growing closer every day to his brother but the minute he met Josie, he felt at ease. Like they could both trust her and based on their history, those people were one in a million. Rafael was lucky to have her and vice versa. He would be jealous as hell if he wasn't so damn happy for them. If anyone deserved it, it was his buddy--

"Yeah, go get her, buddy." Raf's voice sounded like he was hearding puppies. His brother wasn't trying very hard to hide the grin spreading across his face which made Landon look back in shock. He did _not_ just...so much for wishing him the best.

Landon's eyes went wide in a warning of his own because oh, how the tables had turned. "Shutup." The words tangled together in his mouth and came out as one. The embarrassment was so obvious he cringed and could tell that Josie was much better at hiding her knowledge of what was unspoken. Only a small smile tugged at her lips when Landon looked her way and sighed deeply in response.

Her eyes went wide with innocence, " _What?_ I know nothing."

He could only nod with exasperation and leave them to chuckle about him. Landon needed to find the girl who was twisting his insides just thinking about her. He was still secretly hoping the image he kept of her in his mind was so mixed up with fantasy that there was no way the real thing would live up to it. So they had history... _kind of_. One night almost a year ago they'd met, talked and... _other_ things he wasn't keen on reliving surrounded by random strangers. Landon had been enchanted by her to say the least but he lived a whole state away and she hadn't called.

 _So now might be the time to let it all go_... The suggestion in the back of his scrambled brain was a good one and would definitely help any awkwardness that might occur when they finally saw each other again. What if she didn't remember him? The thought almost stopped his mission to find her. Landon remembered that she hadn't exactly been sober at Raf's party and it sure would make a hell of a lot more sense than anything he'd come up with since.

She wasn't hard to find but getting her attention turned out to be a whole different ordeal. At least trying to pull her out of a daze distracted him enough from just gazing at her in disbelief. Hope Mikaelson was not only almost exactly as he remembered, minus the boozy flush and liquor sparkle in those blue eyes meant to knock a guy like him right to the ground, but somehow even _more_ in the most unexplainable way. Landon could already hear Rafael laughing at him. _Sap_.

He could barely hear his own voice trying to get her attention above the consistent hum of the crowd and felt a small triumph when she finally looked at him. But Hope's gaze was so filled with confusion that he knew instantly she didn't remember a goddamn thing about the first time they'd met. Landon changed his approach to casual, friendly until she was reaching out for the hand he'd meant for an introductory shake. But this worked. He pulled her through the crowd before they got stuck behind the next person who stopped to chat.

Landon looked back to catch his brother's amused face and stared him down triumphantly. _I got her_. Rafael chuckled and nodded a goodbye.

Now the question was, what was he going to _do_ with her?

~

To his surprise, Hope stayed through his fitting, making herself comfortable on one of the leather couches in front of the three way mirror. Landon had definitely expected her to drop him off, then forget to pick him up and since he still didn't have her number, he would definitely have to call Raf for help with his tails between his legs. But there she was, scrolling through her phone and not looking like she was going anywhere. Despite the fact that she remembered him and the fact had _no_ impact on her whatsoever. And it only stung a little. They'd made casual, polite conversation easy enough so far but he was definitely waiting to see how long that lasted.

Landon had to bite back the offer to leave whenever she wanted since she wasn't exactly needed for this part. It would be the polite thing to do but he wanted her to stay. He wanted to talk to her and get her to talk to him about that night. At least make him understand what the hell happened. God, he just wanted the chance to keep looking at her.

Instead he offered something else, "You promise to tell me the truth about how stupid I'm gonna look at my brother's wedding? I seem to remember your tendency towards blunt." Landon wasn't complaining. He appreciated a hard truth when necessary.

Hope was shocked at the chuckle that escaped her mouth. He was funny. In that subtle way that made him interesting. _So not fair_. Instead she said playfully, "You sure you can take it?" 

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly and while she was sure it was subtle to the outside world, Landon's slight reaction made her feel like he couldn't believe the words that just come from her lips. Which he was also currently trying not to look at; unsuccessfully. Had she seriously just let her bedroom voice come out without permission? The air grew thick and pricklings of heat were dancing between them, growing at exponential rates the longer the silence lingered. And as comfortable a silence it was, it needed to be stopped.

She blinked and shut her stupid mouth with a small smile and let a shred of embarrassment escape as she explained, "Your ego. Do you think you're ego can take it?" _There we go._ Her normal voice that spoke the same words without intonation _. Was that so hard?_

A grin replaced his dumbfounded look and he let out a tense laugh before nodding and letting a little playfulness of his own come out, "Oh, I can take it." And then the heat was back, tickling her toes and begging her to feed it. But it didn't need much from her because Landon seemed to be doing a good job of that all on his own with the unabashed way kept his eyes on her. The moment was heavy and full of possibility, lasting longer than she usually let herself indulge. 

Hope could still feel it as she tore her gaze away and the trance wasn't broken until the tailor called out to Landon and ushered him to the change rooms. Hope took a desperate breath as deep as she could and swore to keep her hormones in check for the rest of the fitting. He wasn't making it easy on either of them but this was their best friend's wedding. It wasn't about whatever the hell this thing was between them that he seemed to understand a lot better than she did. Maybe she'd buck up and just ask him.

Landon didn't realize what he was getting into. This wasn't even about Hope flirting with him and then trying to take it back because good luck with _that_. There were too many tuxes hung up for one person. And with a sigh, he remembered Raf explaining Josie's vision for the aesthetic of the wedding party. She'd wanted them to stand out from the crowd and his brother had said he just wanted him to look _fresh_. Whatever the hell that meant. They'd decided to leave it to the tailor to figure out.

And so started the montage of outfit changes starring him, Landon Kirby; the person least likely or deserving of a such a thing. Or so it was how he played it out in his mind because it was much more bearable that way since the tailor wouldn't stop talking about stitches and other specifics that might as well have been about brain surgery for all he knew. He couldn't even get that blunt opinion he'd been waiting for from the girl lounging and just watching them as they walked in and out of the dressing room.

He could feel her eyes on him and while it felt good, it was hard to keep from looking back. But Landon had learned thus far that when he was put in place, it was important not to move unless he wanted a straight pin somewhere unfortunate. His head turned slightly when he heard squeaking leather from behind him, wondering if she was trying to bail after all.

Instead Hope showed up in the mirror behind him and they locked eyes again like it was against their nature not to anymore. While it scared the hell out of both of them, it didn't stop the small smiles they exchanged.

"This one is good, no?" Landon's face fell in confusion as he thought the tailor had meant the comment for him but before he could offer an agreeable smile, her voice popped in.

"Oh yeah. This is definitely the one." Hope nodded and smiled at the tailor in a shared victory and finally turned it his way. "Josie'll love it."

"Raf wants it to be _fresh_ ," hearing the sound of the word on his tongue made it hard to stop the laugh escaping.

"Is fresh," the tailor assured him and Hope's giggle flooded his ears and he couldn't have stopped his proud smile if he tried.

Landon saw her shrug as she said, "Don't look at me. I am _not_ cool enough to know what that means," giving him a apologetic look through her amusement.

" _Thank God_. Me neither." And a sigh of relief escaped with his laugh. 

Finally when all the measurements were taken and the deposit was paid, they headed back to her car in that comfortable silence they were starting to get used to. Just as she was about to get in, he spoke up,

"Hey, Hope?"

Her attention was caught as she stopped and looked up at him over the hood, "Yeah?"

Landon decided to take a shot in the dark while he was feeling brave, "It's okay, you know...if you don't remember." He would just tell her. _Remind_ her; fill her in on the details where he could. Whether it would make things worse or better, he had no idea but they definitely didn't need to keep up the pretense.

There was the tiniest hint of sadness in his tone that made guilt rise up in her throat. Hope took a breath and sighed before saying the thing that needed to be said, "Look. It's Raf and Josie's wedding. I don't want to make it about me or you or some party we met at last year. Cause it's not. It's only about them...so let's just let it be, okay?"

Landon cast his gaze downward in what felt like surrender. "Yeah, you're right." And she was. So why was that sting coming back with a vengeance?

Sliding into their seats, he tried to move them back towards causal territory for the drive home, "Plus we're just getting started, right? We've got that joint party thing for the bachelor and bachelorette, the rehearsal dinner and then the actual day, finally." It overwhelmed him just to say out loud and Hope seemed to be right there with him. "We've got to leave some room for everyone's else's drama."

"Exactly," letting a pent up breath escape but no relief came with it as it usually did. There was too much sitting between them; unspoken and unknown. And she'd done her thing and shut it down before she could even learn about that night that had obviously made an impact on him. Maybe she didn't want to know or even need to know in the grand scheme of things. As much as she'd heard the words come from her lips, she knew it was going to be a lot harder to listen to them.

This time it was Hope who let her eyes stay on him until he noticed and held on. She let their gaze linger for a second too long before she smiled sweetly and pulled out to the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all your comments(even the rando Posie ones) in advance and am really grateful for the support and encouragement so far. I'm having so much fun with this.  
> This is turning out longer than expected. Shocker. Next chapter will be the joint bachelor/ette party.


	3. The Party: Can we just talk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the Stag and Doe and Josie and Raf have plans and ideas for their friends. Raf has some wise words for Hope and Hope and Landon share a dance.

Landon had returned to his apartment in Washington for just shy of a month and busied himself with work as much as humanly possible. The time had gone by even faster than he'd hoped but it hadn't done enough to make him forget the curvy, auburn-haired girl who kept visiting him in his dreams. It was nothing short of pathetic seeing as how she'd made it pretty clear that her priority was to keep their best friends' wedding drama free at least when it came to theirs. But it didn't change the image burned behind his eyes of hers staring back at him with that liquor twinkle. A liquor twinkle that didn't always need to involve liquor it turns out.

Now he was heading back to Virginia for wedding week and refusing to acknowledge the _extravaganza_ that Josie liked to tack onto the end. Landon was on his way back to Hope. And while, he had no reason to believe that she was opening up to him at all it didn't change the fact that he was excited to see her. Maybe nothing would change but he'd promised himself not to pussy out when it came to clearing the air about Raf's party. Too much had happens between them. _Emotionally_. And it wasn't much to go on, but the way she looked back at him sometimes said that she knew or at least she _wanted_ to know about it. He was starting to believe that Hope was the kind of girl who said something different with her eyes than the cold words come from her lips.

"Ay, Land-O!" It was his brother's voice booming from the airport arrivals crowd and it spread a wide grin across his face at the old nickname. Lando Calrissian. _So cool_. 

After a quick embrace, Landon felt the restless energy bouncing off Rafael's shoulders. "You ready for this?" They both understood he meant the week ahead and everything that came with it. The fear, the excitement, the inevitable change and the impending drama.

Raf took a breath and pushed it out like he was trying to expel his nerves that way, "Not even close, bro," at least there was a chuckle that fell out with his words as he swung his arm around his shorter brother's shoulders and held onto him for dear life. "But that's why you're here, right?"

Landon felt the anxiety-ridden squeeze and held back to keep him steady on his feet just in case. Raf could hold on as long as he needed to. Every once in a while someone made a rude, unnecessary and irrelevant comment about them but honestly, he'd never given a flying fuck. This was his brother. His family. And after the life they'd walked through together, you'd hold onto one another every damn chance you got too. He tried to blink away the emotion fighting to well up. "Always, brother." 

It was like it was hitting him all at once. Rafael shot an appreciative smile his way and suddenly it was like flashing neon lights in his mind, _Raf is getting married_! His constant was about to become a little less so but for the absolute best reason. As they headed towards the apartment to find Josie for dinner, what Hope said started to resonate. His brother needed him and what in the world could be more important than that?

~

Hope stood in front of the mirror and huffed. It wasn't right. She turned to the side and that wasn't right and then shifted to get a glimpse of the back and that was worse. What even constituted _cocktail attire_ anyway? Hope Mikaelson didn't have a clue. In fact, she was convinced the only two people in the world who knew what cocktail attire were blonde and closely related to the bride. 

"Hope? Can you help--...what are you doing?" Josie stumbled into her room looking pouty as she held an unhooked bracelet onto her wrist. "That's not what you're wearing."

"Why not? I'm sick of changing." A defeated Hope was a force to be reckoned with but Josie had the right ammunition this time.

Shaking her head in confusion, the bride asked, "I thought you were wearing that to the rehearsal dinner?"

"I am. I think," it was fun to see Josie's eyes go wide with disbelief as she anticipated the next words from her friend's mouth, "I was gonna do a twofer."

"Hope Mikaelson, I swear to God..." but the anger turned to a giggle pretty quickly as Hope raised her finger guns in the bride's direction.

"Gotcha. No, I just wanted to see it first and I think I hate it." Her auburn hair whipped around as she took another look at herself in the mirror as if this time something might have changed.

"Well, what does it matter now?!? We're getting ready for the party!!!" Josie's excitement was out and ready to infect as it pulled a smile from her friend's lips. 

"Wait...is cocktail attire just snob for club wear?" Hope would take the joke back in second because all of this was starting to feel like a lot. "If that's the case, I'm not changing." 

Josie sighed and have her friend an exasperated look. "Do you need help, maybe?" She was a good friend and should have put together earlier that it had been what Hope was fishing for the whole time. She wasn't always the most open when asking for help. Only proven further when she saw the auburn hair nodding through the reflection.

"Nothing I pick seems right..." Hope didn't know how to explain it other than she felt like she wanted to crawl out of her skin and find a new body before anything in her closet would seem decent for the night.

Josie tried to keep her all-knowing look subtle as she smirked, "Could you be worried about seeing a certain best man after an afternoon of, uh, what did you call it--oh yeah, _eye fucking_ a few weeks ago?" She never said she was _good_ at subtle.

"Josie!" Hope's eyes were wide with warning as she hushed her friend, regretting her choice of words in the moment.

"It's so cute! My best friend and Raf's friend, it's like it's--"

Hope cut her friend off quickly before she threatened to vomit, "If you say fate, so help me God..."

Josie giggled happily, "Oh, you are so crushing." And finally took pity on her mess of a friend, "Don't worry, we'll find something perfect."

The bride's warm smile was on that had put Hope at ease from first glance and even though she didn't expect any nerves she had to actually leave her based on a specific outfit choice, maybe Josie's care and attention would.

As Josie sifted through her closet, Hope couldn't hold back, "I am not _crushing_."

The bride just shook her head and laughed, "Who are you trying to convince, huh?" Hope's eye roll was intense but Josie pressed on, "Me? Or _you_?" 

"I am _not!"_ was all Hope could practically shriek at her oldest friend in borderline panic.

"Oh yeah?" The bride could only give a knowing look at she shifted through the dresses in the closet, "Since when do you care what you look like going _anywhere?"_

Hope could breathe easier as she took a deeper breath and exhaled, "Maybe I'm worried about living up to your _mom's_ cocktail attire standards." Finally, there was an audible _harumph_ as she sat on the bed in defeat. "Are you gonna tell me what cocktail attire already?"

Josie just giggled and passed the perfect dress to her friend, "You don't need to worry. You'll look great." Her dark brows wiggled with intention as she added, "My _mom_ will love it."

There was a paused before the auburn-haired girl huffed, "I hate you." Other than that, it was enough to shut her friend up for now anyway.

~

The couple had rented out a small basement club that was a spot they'd both enjoyed in college. It seemed appropriate for their Stag and Doe. Kaleb and MG and Lizzie and Penelope had complained to both parties about their decision for a joint party but Jose and Raf stayed firm. There would be no strippers if they controlled this part themselves and both Landon and Hope were grateful. Neither were big partiers and dreaded this night's arrival equally even if they were totally unaware of it. Josie and Raf just wanted to dance and drink with all their friends, let off some steam before all the weddings festivities started and no one was going to stop them. Not controlling sisters or bitter exes-turned-friends or single buddies looking for opportunities. 

The club was dark and atmospheric and cozy enough for their small group and the smiles on the bride and groom's faces were enough to put everyone in a good mood. After a few celebratory shots, MG, Kaleb and Penelope were dragging just about everyone to the dance floor when the music picked up. Hope was reluctant as the raven-haired girl pulled on her arm, "Come on, girl. I know you're a dancer so you can't use that excuse. JoJo loved to tell me about all those dance classes you two took up until college." 

It was true but that didn't mean Hope was eager to bump and grind against a drunk bridal party. She managed to resist for a song and a half until Josie, herself had to come and physically drag her into the girl's dance circle. And she was having some real, loose, carefree fun for a little while until she felt the heat of a body come up behind her without warning. It wasn't shocking, just annoyed and while she was able to fend him off, it didn't stop more from coming.

By this point, Landon was sitting by his lonesome watching his friends lose themselves to the music and the booze. He could have been out there with them, should have been end he'd even made his excuses to the bride herself, for a long day and a flight that exhausted him to the core. He got a pass and just sat back to nurse his beer. It also gave him a front row seat to the show: pretty girls in sexy dresses jumping and dancing around and letting loose in a way they usually didn't. It didn't exactly suck especially getting to watch one _particularly_ pretty girl in a sexy dress who _really_ kept it close to the chest.

To say, he was watching anyone but Hope was mostly a lie but Landon was fascinated watching her resolve melt away. She was in no way beckoning him to the dance floor with the sway of her hips but he still felt the pull. So when Lizzie rushed up towards him and pulled, he finally relented and let himself be dragged towards his friends. The song shifted moments before he got into the rhythm between Lizzie and MG's robot moment. It was slower with a sexy rhythm and difficult to dance to if you weren't creative. People were already starting to pair off before he noticed and MG made his move to grab the blonde next to him before she made her move against Landon. He was grateful and smiled at his friend for his quick thinking. Josie and Raf were moving in a way that he didn't want to look at for too long and so he focused in on Hope again.

His eyes narrowed as she watched her shove a larger, male hand away from her ass and Landon didn't even noticed he was beside her before he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Their eyes met in shock and he barked out a laugh and shrugged in some sort of mock apology. Luckily, Hope was smiling at him and it seemed grateful at least. The music was to loud to speak so instead his other hand found hers and he started to lead her in a bit of a silly sway to the sexy rhythm. Their smiles only grew from shy and reluctant to silly and playful until all that build up and pretense was gone. 

Their dance style started off as a mirror, her mirroring him until she got brave enough to take over. They were facing each other and watching the other's body move to the music and their expression to go along with it. Maybe it would have just been fun and silly if the beat didn't drag their bodies into a sultry slow dance that both of their instinctual rhythms taking over eventually. Until Hope was turning and pressing her body into his as they glided against each other, easier than it should have been. Almost like they'd done something like this before--The thought had her freezing for a moment in panic at what she couldn't remember and his warm hands that had fallen to her hips gave them a reassuring squeeze that brought her back to earth. Back to their moment.

Hope turned quickly and smiled, pressed up against his chest tighter than she'd planned by maybe the few drinks in her system made it too fun to care. She bit back a stupid amount of embarrassing smiles as they stared and smiled and danced with each other. It was fun to just let go and the more she did the more she wanted to. That was her excuse for what came next. Hope could blame so many other extenuating factors like the lurking fuck boys trying to ruin their moment or the whiskey going straight to her head but she knew it was just _him._ With his unabashed, adoring eyes that begged her to hold onto his and his impressive dance swag. The boy had rhythm and _damn_ , was she in trouble. So who could blame her when their bodies met and moved together exactly the way the music had been suggesting. 

Her mind knew the song was coming to an end and maybe it was that impending finish that had her looping her arm around his neck and letting her mouth hover close to his, noses brushing occasionally. His lids dropped to watch her lips as she leaned in and the warmth of his breath teased her skin--

"Come on! Let's do shots!" Lizzie Saltzman, like a glass of ice water had, no doubt, intentionally gotten between them if not in a physical sense with her shrill voice of excited that pierced the booming music.

Hope didn't realise how physically close she stayed to him, gripping his jacket loosely if only to keep herself standing, "...I need a breather." Her voice was hoarse, hadn't used it all day and she was sure she was a pink, flushed mess. 

He could feel their carbon mixing on his lips, "Same." Landon thanked the blaring bass for tuning out the desperate need in his voice. Her smile was different than the others she shared with him before. This one was promising something different, something more maybe to come.

Perking up, he offered, "Hey, I need a drink. You want something?" He was already leading them off the dance floor with her hand still in his loosely as he called out to their friends.

Josie and Raf's laughs were behind them as he shared the love, "I'm going to the bar. What do you want?"

"Uh, whiskey sour for me." Hope chimed in and Josie got excited over the idea of a long island ice tea. Landon stopped to give Hope a quizzical look and she put a weak hand up in protest, "Everyone gives me shit. I stand by my choice," but couldn't keep the giggle from escaping as he raised his eyebrows in defeat and turned towards the bar.

"It's no cosmo," Lizzie's voice cut through the crowd as MG lead her towards the group. And they all looked at her with narrowed eyes, "What? Sex in the City is _classic_." The group laughed more at the blonde being drunker than all of them already and committing to her cliche. No shame. Hope envied her.

Landon's voice was hushed behind her but she heard it well enough to turn around and shoot him a knowing look, "Definitely no cosmo." His shrug was slight before he turned around to complete his drink mission. Hope was enjoying the moment of light and airy fun before she saw Rafael's face change as he walked towards her. Here we go.

"Hey. Having fun?" Josie was watching them and pretending not to but they'd been friends for 15 years and Hope knew better.

"You know I doubted your methods but I really am," she lowered her voice and her tone, "Shh. Don't tell anyone."

Raf chuckled, "Good. Cause I haven't seen Lan look like he didn't have a care in the world..." He paused to think about it and let out a pent up breath, "maybe ever." 

And like that, out went the light and airy. "Raf, I--"

"Look," he turned his large, intimidating body to face her and leaned in so she could hear him. It would have been terrifying if the auburn-haired girl didn't know about the teddy bear Rafael Waithe really was, it might have actually scared her.

"I have to say this because I am the only person in the world who looks out for him. It's barely even about you," Hope only half understood what he was trying to get at. "Cause I'm with Josie in the whole, you're freakishly perfect for each other thing. But what really matters is what you think."

Hope realized that both brothers had the same ability to render her without words. They said the things she couldn't say without breaking a sweat. "Cause I know what he thinks and I could stand here and tell you what kind of guy he is but I think you need to figure that out for yourself. Find out that he's the _best_ and yeah, I'm biased but it's also the _truth_. I could tell you what he thinks but that should come from him. But if you don't care and you're just gonna be over it tomorrow then do me a favour? Let him loose. Use that bluntness he says he likes so much about you. Cause I can't have him puppy dogging after you this whole wedding only to be left waiting by the damn phone again. It's not fair and I'm not gonna let you."

Rafael looked almost out of breath when he finished and Hope's eyes were blown wide with his honest and heartfelt words. He wasn't going to let her do her thing, the thing his fiance probably warned him about and rightly so. Hope couldn't even be mad at Josie for that. She ran. She was a runner if someone was even able to catch her for long enough to run from anything in the first place. And Landon deserved better. His brother knew that and now Hope did too.

Landon was busy passing off drink orders to his friends and blonde acquaintances who's hands were reaching way too low on his back and as she muttered her drunk gratitude in his ear. It was like being back in college and placing bets with the other waiters on who could carry the most drinks as a time without breaking a glass. He saw his brother and Hope in what looked like a deep conversation and even Josie stealing glances every so often as if she was checking on them. Landon drifted their way last with Raf's beer and Hope's whiskey sour and handed it too them as they finally turned to him with fake smiles.

"I hope I didn't interrupt. He's about to be a married man." The jealousy was so obvious, he was already flushed with embarassment before it left his mouth. Luckily, he'd just dirty danced with a hot girl and had a good cover story.

Hope was still confused about the 'waiting by the phone' part of Raf's speech and his brother decided to be honest about that with Landon. She panicked slightly but realized Rafael was laughing it off and she could only hope that would end the trip down memory lane.

Landon chuckled, "Well, you haven't said you'd text yet and if you try and ghost me we have a ton of events we have to see each other at the rest of the week so..." It was meant to be a joke but Hopes discomfort was so obvious as she looked away and barely managed to smile.

"I wouldn't ghost you," was all she said as she laid a hand on his arm and took a long swig of her drink. 

Rafael was looking between them, almost as out of the loop as Hope as he saw the miscommunication and confusion surrounding the conversation. "Except you already _did_..."

Landon watched the realization fall across the auburn-haired girl's face and it dawned on him. It took a moment for him to find his voice, looking away and then back again, raising a finger not looped around his beer bottle to point at her.

"You don't remember a goddamn _thing_ about that night... _do_ you?'

This was the last thing his brother expected, "Well, shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Hope and Landon dance to is Talk by Khalid feat. Disclosure so listen to that and imagine a sexy, slow grind sort of situation. Nothing too dirty, more teasing and an "almost" vibe. It's also where the chapter subtitle comes from.
> 
> Thanks for anyone who came back to read this! It's been forever and I still hope to finish this since it seems about half done now? Maybe? It won't be longer than 8 chapters at the most is my guess. And I have many notes and it all planned out. No excuses.


	4. The Party: Feel this with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of friendship dynamics in the last chapter but this is pure Handon. Can Landon forgive Hope for pretending to remember their past? Can she resist him and prevent unnecessary wedding drama? Will he stop at trying to break down her walls?
> 
> This chapter includes intentional quotes from Legacies 1x01. I do no own that and use it for effect.

To say Hope was put on the spot was an understatement. Rafael had already abandoned the moment and went back to talk to Josie to, no doubt, update her on the dramatic recent events. She was stunned by Raf's words and definitely wasn't on her game enough, after a sexy dance and the whiskey flowing through her veins to pretend quick enough that she understood what either of them were talking about. Especially not enough to joke about it.

But still, she tried, "I told you, I remember. Why would you say that?" Hope shook her head incredulously and used every ounce of the sobriety left in her to put into the charade. The last thing this wedding needed was a awkward best man and bridesmaid.

Landon's brow was tight and his jaw slack with shock and anger as he looked at her. The inky-haired boy scanned her face and took his time deciding on his next moves. Finally, he took a big swig from his bottle to cool his hot lips and leveled with her, "I saw your face. You didn't know what we were talking about. You don't have to lie to me, Hope."

His voice was desperate and pleading in a way that made the guilt unbearable. He also managed to still sounds incredibly sexy which wasn't fair at all. Or maybe it was just the black curls sticking to his hairline and the flush against his pale skin and _grey--green_ \-- eyes. "I..." she licked her lips and looked around before she conceded, "Okay, I don't remember _everything_. I'm sure you remember that I wasn't exactly sober that night."

"I don't think anyone was," Landon just nodded in understanding, "I just got there after everyone else and was late to the party. Literally." His deep voice choked out a harsh laugh as his thoughts drifted away.

Hope sipped at her drink and started to worry her bottom lip between her teeth, "I'm sorry if I said I would call. Or text. Or whatever I said. I don't remember that. I didn't even know I had your number."

Landon did that thing she'd grown to know about him and took his time looking over her face, "You were upset that night. A break up, right?"

"Yeah. Um...yeah. It'd been a few weeks by then but apparently I couldn't stop talking about it." She was embarrassed to say the least and looked away and she finished her drink, "I'm sure if I'd been able to hold my liquor better than I would have saved you that story."

There was that shrug again, "I'm glad you didn't. And you were mixing rum and gin. _No one_ can hold that liquor combo." The bottle was at his lips again as he chuckled and she found her eyes drawn to both.

"Oh _God,"_ her blue eyes squeezed shut in mortification even as she held back a wide smile, "I don't like _either_ of those."

"Yeah, I know that too. You're a whiskey girl. No vodka either because the first time you got drunk you drank it straight and puked it all back up." Landon smiled as he repeated back a story she didn't think many people knew and her incredulous eyes widened at his knowledge, "Oh, yeah. You were chatty." He had a look of pride that was getting hotter by the moment as it grew and mixed with his confidence.

"I hate myself," Hope just tried to laugh it off and change the subject or make it seem less dramatic at least, "He ended up getting engaged to someone else like six weeks later. The one I got drunk over." She tried to play it off as nothing or good riddance but his look of concern as he turned towards her made her stop in her tracks. 

His hand raised to trail down her arm in an act of comfort she didn't know she needed, "Wow. That's... _terrible_."

Landon's gaze had locked her in again as she agreed, "Yeah..." and all she could do was look and search for whatever it was that was holding her there, making her share secrets she had no intention of sharing.

"Just like me to crush on the girl with the _most_ baggage." He said it like it was a thought in his head that he couldn't help but speak out loud while looking straight into her eyes when he did so. It was shockingly bare and scared her to death.

Scared her so badly that Hope pulled away like his fingers suddenly caught fire and she couldn't take the heat. Her eyes detached from his first as she turned and looked for an escape or an excuse _anywhere_ , "I should go find Josie."

Landon watched her walk away as his brows stitched together in confusion. He saw her smile at the bride-to-be, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before she exited the double doors. Josie's eyes caught his after that and they shared a sad smile before she walked over to him. 

"Hey," was all he could muster as he finished his beer. 

"Hey. I'm sorry if she ditched you. That's kinda what she does." It didn't sound like an excuse on her lips, more of a difficult truth she wanted to share with him. That he deserved to know.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that."

"You could always not let her...you know, ditch you." Josie's head tilted to the side as she looked away and sipped her drink. A twinkle of mischief laced her words as he took a moment to digest what she said.

"So I should…" Landon set firm eyes on the bride and pointed to the double doors in question.

"You could. Just because she's running away doesn't mean she doesn't mean she doesn't want you to follow her." The bride shrugged and gave him a small smile of encouragement before he nodded in understanding and turned on his heel to head for the door.

~

"You know you do that a lot."

Hope was standing at the curb, arms crossed across her chest and regretting that she hadn't grabbed her jacket before she left. His voice took her out of her trance as she turned to look behind her. "Do what?

He walked to her slowly as she turned towards him, afraid to activate her fight or flight mode again, "Run."

Hope scoffed a laugh and turned her gaze to her shoes, "And what? That activates your chase mode, Wile E. Coyote?"

Landon raised his brows and pointed to the doors behind him, "I can leave."

"No!--" the words came out before she could think to stop them and immediately realized what she looked like by saying so. A tease? Sending mixed signals? All of the above probably and more versions of screwed up than she even knew about herself.

"Look, I'll stop chasing you the moment you stop asking me to." It was a bold statement that he wasn't completely confident in but the goal was to make it sound that way anyway. Lots of shrugs and keeping his voice low and steady as he kept small, steady paces in her direction.

"I never--"

"Yes, you _do!_ " He'd had enough of her resistance and pointed at her to make it clear. "You can't look at me with _those_ eyes the way you do and act like you don't know exactly what's coming next. You _want_ me to come after you and you know I will," the silence from her sprouted the smallest of doubts in him, "and if you really don't, then just _say_ so."

There it was. The honest to God truth and it didn't sound that insane hearing him say it out loud. It sounded like the most obvious thing in the world. Maybe it was.

"I don't--" know what else to say, he was about to tell her.

"Just stop!" His honesty was infiltrating her system at a molecular level and she couldn't not say what came out next, "Stop saying something sweet. Or _sexy_." The exasperation in her voice was desperate and she threw him a pleading look, "I can't take it."

That was all he needed to surge forward both physically and literally, "And if I don't? What are you gonna do?"

Hope just looked at him and then it was her turn to shrug, "I don't know." 

His frustration came back with a vengeance as he scrubbed his hand over his face and had to turn away from her before he could continue.

"You know there's nothing I want more in the world right now, right? To have you let go for just a second and _feel_ this with me." It was an opportunity for her to put him in his place if she wanted to. Tell him it was one-sided and he'd read her wrong entirely. But Landon was fed up with the tippy-toeing and and almost-moments that never moved on from that. Almost wasn't enough anymore.

Hope couldn't believe this guy. The way he put all the bullshit aside and said the things most people wouldn't. Especially her. She could so easily tell him that he was wrong. That he'd misinterpreted her interest for something more intense but it was harder this time. He spat the words like he knew something she didn't and it rattled her. Something had happened the night of Raf's party when they met and something told her that her usual diversion tactics weren't going to work this time. So instead of trying to fight him, she didn't. Hope wanted to know why he was so sure. She wanted to know what had happened that made him so unwilling to give up on her. It was surprising and intriguing and she knew he deserved some kind of truth.

"I promise you, I feel it. It's just like I said, I don't want to make this about you and me. Josie and Raf are forever. And Josie is forever to _me_. You have no idea the shit she puts up with from me. I'm not gonna do anything to screw up what's supposed to be the happiest day of her life. So I can't just _sleep with you_ or whatever and pretend you don't exist after."

It came out in a rush and when she was finished a shiver ran through her body that seemed to be about more than just the windchill against her bare shoulders. Landon took his jacket off and offered it to her as he scoffed a laugh, "Ouch."

"You know what I mean." She smiled apologetically and took it from him, wrapping it around her immediately and appreciating the warmth seeping into her skin from his body heat.

"Yeah..." He shoved his hands into his front pockets and kicked the ground, finally unsure of what to say.

Hope rolled her eyes and shook her head as her thoughts passed through her lips, "Plus it's so goddamn cliche I can't stand it."

That had him looking her way again as the smile stretched his lips, "Ha, it's not _that_ cliche. You're not _actually_ the maid of honour."

"Oh _God_ , don't remind me." Her blue eyes rolling hard as she shoved the idea of Lizzie Saltzman bragging about her conquest away from her thoughts.

"If anything, I think you're obligated to _save_ me from that cliche," he didn't feel like he was too off-base sensing the jealousy in her tone at the idea of him sleeping with another member of the wedding party and it had him taking another cautious step towards her.

Her arms were still wrapped around herself as she laughed at his flirty tone, "Oh _really?_ "

"Mhm hmm...," His grey-green eyes stayed on her face until he only saw blue and then held on for dear life. It seemed like the easiest thing in the world and so she indulged and stopped trying to fight it even just for this moment.

This time when he stepped closer it was enough to reach out and touch her if he wanted. Now was the time he expected the real fight to come out in her and so he waited.

"I think this is the part when you run." So he decided to let her. He gave her enough time to, just in case that was what she really wanted. 

"Yeah..." She knew she should have taken the moment he gave her to stop this in its tracks but maybe her body knew something her mind couldn't remember. Hope couldn't move or take her eyes off his even as she agreed with him. Landon was a practical stranger; they were connected by people they loved dearly and the romance of the upcoming wedding was definitely getting to her because she didn't want it to stop. She didn't want to chase him away again in this moment. Instead, Hope came to terms with the fact that she'd felt more drawn to him over the short span of a few days, even if you'd counted the mysterious party, than others she'd dated. 

It wasn't until she licked her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down on it that he'd had enough, " _Fuck_ _it._ "

Landon surged forward and gripped her jaw in both hands to pull her lips directly to his. It was a smash of mouths at first and her squeak of surprise was borderline adorable until they settled into it. Hope was frozen against him for a moment too long so he pulled back to give her a wary, quizzical look. Maybe he'd crossed a line or read the situation wrong but her tongue dancing across her lips made him so jealous that he couldn't resist anymore.

His hands stayed in place, less firm on her face but grazing the skin of her cold cheeks, lovingly. There waso a few inches of space between them before she pulled him back. Her fingers finding an opening between the buttons of his shirt to grab onto and yank towards her. Landon groaned softly against her lips as they finally moved together in a delicate massage. It was Hope's turn to hum when his tongue teased the seam of her lips and she responded by draping her arms around his neck and holding him closer. They were sharing body heat against a cool wind and neither could tell you how long they stayed like that until a echo of laughter caught his ears through the opening and closing of the double doors behind them.

Landon detangled himself just enough to mutter, "As much as it kills me to stop you...I have to." 

"You have got to be kid--" The surprise on her face wasn't shocking and he hated himself the moment he saw it. If anything were to steer her right back to gun shy, it was that.

"Shh," his hands didn't want to let go of the grip on her waist but knew his reassurance had to be clear. Landon stroked her rosy cheeks as he said, "I promised Raf I would let Jed show us this new spot that opened up recently and..." The confusion on her face was turning into something else he was trying to decipher and it stopped him from finishing his thought entirely.

Hope was having a lot of trouble hiding her disappointment and not letting it turn back into doubt all over again. She wondered how obvious it would be to him since he'd already shown to be able to see right through her.

"Hey," and there it was. The smile on his face and the sweet, twinkle in his grey-green eyes that had her melting all over again as she pressed her cheek into his hand, "Please remember the only thing keeping me from you is brotherly loyalty." 

That made her smile and relax back into his arms, "Okay," and she returned the smile and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah?" Landon looked relieve but still unsure, "Maybe you can finally text me." 

He'd meant to tease her but Hope shot him a challenging look, "Maybe you can text _me._ "

Landon gave her a pointed look even as his hands rubbed down her arms to try and chase away the goosebumps, "I _can't_ , actually. I still don't have your number."

Hope's smile dropped in shock and there was a moment before she spoke again, "You're kidding?" It was so ridiculous at this point it was funny.

"I wish. You really think I would have let this go on this long if I did?" He said incredulously as he chuckled slightly.

Hope pulled out her phone and narrowed her eyes, scrolling through a sea of names for anything resembling his. _Landenkurby_. There it was. Clear as day.

He stole a glance over her shoulder to discover her amusement and she heard his gruff voice explain, "You wouldn't let me put it in."

That made her laugh which was becoming so easy as long as he was around. Turning around quickly to face him, she used her free hand to push lightly at his chest, "Okay, go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Landon caught her hand and held it between both of his as he refused to move, "Well what about lunch--or _breakfast?_ " His eagerness was infectious.

Hope tried to hold back her grin and pry her hand from his chest, "I can't. Spay day with the girls tomorrow. I promised Josie." Instead, he brought her palm to his lips and gave it a lingering kiss that had her biting the inside of her lip to keep the embarrassing glee off her face.

An exaggerated sigh left his mouth as it pulled away from her skin with an understanding nod, "Tomorrow then. Rehearsal dinner." Finally, he let her go and willed himself to walk away even if it was just a few steps.

"I'll see you then," her mind was already panicking about what that could possibly entail but he was still looking at her with those dreamy eyes and pulling himself away from her in a way that said he couldn't bear to go she pushed those thoughts away for now.

"I can't wait," and then pressed on with a firm look in his eye, " _Text me._ " When he finally turned around and headed towards his next destination, she turned back to her phone.

Halfway through the open door, his cell buzzed in his back pocket and curiously, he searched for the notification.

 _Unknown contact:_ Don't dance with anyone else.

Landon didn't have to look up to know she was waiting for his response. He left her with a quick, hard look that warmed her from the inside out even with the chill in the nighttime air. It wasn't until he was out of her sight that she got a reply.

 _Landenkurby:_ Not a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It could end here, right? A hot makeout outside the club? Landon's relentless crush breaking down Hope's walls enough to admit she's feeling something between them?  
> But no, more to come. The next chapter will be the rehearsal dinner heavily featuring Penelope Park and Lizzie Saltzman trying to get between our power couples.  
> Thanks as always for reading and all comments and kudos are appreciated!


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